Music is wonderful.

No matter where you go in the world, music is part of the journey. It connects culture and supports regional history. Music is as much of a cultural identity as the very people it accompanies.

Growing up with music was a big part of my life and the lives of our family. There was always music coming from the coffin-sized Zenith stereo, with pockets packed full of record albums. I suspect the music helped our mother survive four children and a house full of activities. Mother was from a large musical family which consisted of teachers, musicians and singers. All of Mother’s family had beautiful voices. One sister, Elizabeth, sang with the Rochester (New York) Oratorio, while other family members sang in church choirs and played in bands. Mother’s extended family members, our cousins, have provided their own musical gifts and carried on a tradition of performance.

A lot of the music we heard growing up was jazz. During the post-World War II era, the sounds of gifted musicians filled the air. I recall Erroll Garner, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Strayhorn, Keely Smith and others like the Mills Brothers who grew up nearby in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. I had no idea who these folks were, but their music filled the house.

So imagine my delight when I landed in the vicinity of the newly formed jazz musician duo of Bess Jacques and Barney Balch. Wow! Talk about, as Yogi Berra used to say, "deja vu all over again!" What a gift transporting me back to my childhood with tunes that literally vibrated my soul. Bones and Ivory is a real trip!

Barney Balch has a long history with Bigelow Lab in East Boothbay. He has been recognized for many accomplishments but is now “retired,” at least from the science lab. Musically, his career is far more extensive than his scientific endeavors. His first musical adventure landed with the American Legion Band in Rockport, Massachusetts, at age 14. While enrolled in his PhD study at University of San Diego, he discovered Jimmy Cheatham, a teacher and big time jazz trombonist. Barney’s music career got a real boost and only improved. Often here in the area, his Novel Jazz group (MaineJazz.net) has been enjoyed for many years. The band has played hundreds of events far and wide.

It was almost destined to be that Barney and Maine musician, singer and composer Bess Jacques would cross paths and even more likely that they would collaborate to form the “Bone and Ivory” duet. Bess had also grown up in a musical house and absorbed the piano music played by her mother. At age 6, Bess started taking lessons with Linda Russell in Portland and never looked back. Music became a big part of Bess’s life through thick and thin, college and careers in mathematics, theoretical computer science and other opportunities I can’t even pronounce!

Bess can play just about any instrument, including the dulcet tones of voice. Her association with Barney is relatively recent but her musical career is not. She has performed widely as a piano player and singer and has produced several albums. Bess is quick to mention her very significant studies with jazz saxophonist Joe LaFlamme from Westbrook. She acknowledges Mr. LaFlamme for “... opening her ears up to hearing so much that is important in jazz sound, phrasing, articulation and tone.” This knowledge has served her well. More information is available online at Bessjacques.com

Bess and Barney will be performing at the “The Cadenza” (www.cadenzafreeeport.com) in Freeport on Saturday, Nov. 29. “Bone and Ivory” is a new venture for Bess and Barney, but their combined talents are not new. Steeped in the rich tradition of jazz, they unite to bring you along for a blended journey, a musical sharing reflecting the depths of great music.